India, Dec. 1 -- After a week of relatively mild nights, the city woke up to a sharp chill on Sunday, November 30, as the minimum temperature plunged to 9.8degC, down steeply from 14.2degC the previous day. The sudden drop into single digits came as a surprise, especially since weather scientists had anticipated above-normal nighttime temperatures due to the influence of Cyclone Ditwah. The dip brought a distinctly wintry close to November.

Minimum temperatures had been steadily rising through the week, at times reaching 17degC. Sunday's abrupt reversal signalled the return of winter-like conditions across the district.

The outskirts saw an even more pronounced drop. Haveli recorded 7.8degC, the lowest in the district, while Baramati an...